Harness-buckle.



J. T. MERRITT.

HARNESS BUCKLE. l APPLIOATIONHLED JULY 29, 1910.

Patented Aug. l8, 1911.

WIT/VESSES:

ATTH/VEYS JESSE T. MERRITT, 0F JACKSON, TENNESSEE.

HARNESS-BUCKLE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

v Patented Au?. 8, 1911.

Application filed July 29, 1910. Serial No. 574,532.

To all whom 'it may concern:

Be it known that I, JESSE T. MERRITT, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Jackson, in the county of Madison and State of Tennessee, have made certain new and useful Improvements in Harness- Buckles, of which the following is a specification. l

My invention relates to improvements in fastening means for harness, and it consists in the combinations, constructions and arrangements herein described and claimed.

An object of my invention is to provide a i device by means of which there is less liability of tearing a strap, trace or other article upon which the buckle is used.

A further object of myinvention is to provide a buckle in which the tongue passes directly through the perforation in the article to be buckled instead of passing through it in a slanting direction, the ordinary form serving to wear the strap on one edge and to eventually cut it.

A further object of my invention is to provide a buckle in which the strain on the tongue is relieved by the use of plates which serve to protect the tongue and also to clasp the strap over the side, this assisting in holding the strap in place.

Other objects and advantages will appear in the following specification and the novel features of the device will be particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

My invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which similar reference characters indicate like parts in the several views and in which- Figure l is a perspective view showing my improved buckle as applied to double harness, Fig. 2 is a view similar to Fig. l, showing the position of the strap in the act of removing the tongue from one perforation preparatory to placing it in another, Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section through the parts shown in Fig. l, and Fig. I is a longitudinal section through a modified form of the device. L

In carrying out my invention, I provide a plate A of the shape shown in Figs. l and 2. At one end of the plate is a loop a for securing a ring B. An integral tubular portion C serves to provide means for the pivotal attachment of a rectangular link or loop D, which secures the plate to a fiat metal plate E. At the end of the plate A, opposite the ring B, is a housing F which is provided with a groove f (see Fig. 3) for the reception of the tongue.

The plate E is secured to the hame Gr. The opposite end is bent into the form of a loop e (see Fig. 3) one arm of the loop e passing under a layer of leather comprising the hame Gr and being secured in place. It 1s to the loop e that the link D is pivotally secured.

The tongue plate is shown atI-I. It is Secured to the plate E by means of a band 7L which passes around the plate E. Upon the plate is secured a tongue K or pin, which is adapted to enter the perforations p of the strap I). The plate I-I is slidable on the plate E, so as to bring the tongue K into and out of the groove f. Secured to the tongue plate I-I is a metal loop L, under which the end of the strap l? may be secured. Loops m and n, which are secured to the hame, are provided for the rings s @and s respectively.

From the foregoing description of the various parts of the device t-he operation thereof may be readily understood. In 'fastening the strap P to the hame G, the end of the strap is first passed through the rectangular loop D between the plate A and the plate E. The tongue plate H is now moved so as to bring the tongue K into registration with a perforation p. The tongue is passed through this perforation, and then the strap is drawn taut, thereby drawing the plate I-I between the strap and the plate E, the tongue K passing into the groove f of the housing F. I-Iere the tongue K meets the shoulder f2 at the end of the housing (see Fig. The end of the strap P is passed underneath the loop L. It will be seen that the strap P cannot be pulled away from the hame Gr while in this position. The housing F not only serves as a protection for the tongue K, but it also prevents the unfastening of the strap from the hame, since the tongue must be moved from without the housing in order to effect the unbuckling of the strap. In fastening a strap this way, it will be observed that the pull is at right angles to the length of the tongue K. `Moreover, the forcing of the tongue plate I-I between the plates A and E serves to grip the strap between these plates thereby relieving the tongue of part of the strain.

For a single harness, I mayemploy the form disclosed in Fig. 4f, which is a modification of the invention. In this form the plate A and ffl the tongue plate H are similar to the plates A and H in Fig. 3. In this form of the device, however, there is no plate corresponding to E. VThe tongue plate is slidably secured to the hame G by means of a lo-op g2 which passes between the layersV g4 and g5 of the' hame. In this figure the strap P is passed between the plate A and the tongue plate H, the tongue extending through the perforation p?. The tongue plate H is then slid so as to bring the tongue K within the groove f. The loop L is then brought up over the end of the strap to vkeep it in position. In this figure, as in the other, the strap lies fiat and has a direct pull against the tongue. Moreover, the strap is borne upon by the sides of the tongue plate H and by the sides of the plate A, being clasped between these two plates and serving to take some of the strain from the tongue.

It is obvious that other forms of the device based upon the same general idea might vbe made, but I consider, as my own, all such modifications as fairly fall within the spirit and` the scope of the invention, as dened by the appended claims,

I claim p 1. Thecombination with a pair of harness members, of means for fastening said harness members together,-said means comprising a plate slidably secured to one of said harness members, a housing, a loop having a Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents Washington, D. C.

pivotal connection at one end to said harness member and atvthe other end to said housing, the other harness member being perforated and adapted to pass through said loop, and a tongue carried by said slidable plate and adapted to enter said perforations, the movement of said plate permitting the tongue to enter said housing.

2. The combination with a pair of harness members, one of said harness members being provided with a longitudinal plate and the other of said harness members being perforated at intervals, of means for fastening the two harness members together, said means comprising a plate slidably secured to said longitudinal plate, a housing open at one end and closed at the other, a loop having a pivotal connection with the longitudinal plate at one end thereof and with said Vhousing at the closed end thereof,

said perforated harness member adapted to pass through the loop, a tongue carried by said slidable member adapted to enter said perforations, and the movement of said slidable member and said perforated harness `member permitting the entrance of said tongue into said housing.V

JESSE T. MERRITT.

Witnesses: l

A. E. ESTES, A. S.' HEARN. 

